Why Do Women Always Fall Asleep During Movies?

Why Do Women Always Fall Asleep During Movies?

"There are plenty of men who conk out when the TV goes on," Kennedy counters. To determine which gender conks out more consistently and why, "we'd have to do a controlled study involving chick flicks compared with action movies and using documentaries as a control group. My guess is that it has at least something to do with content."

It's a man's world

Ouch again. Popularized by lesbian comic artist Alison Bechdel in the 1980s, the Bechdel Test asks three things of a film: Does it include at least two female characters? Do they speak to each other? Do they speak about anything besides a man?

It's no joke, as revealed by a new study conducted at USC.

According to the study, which examined a random sampling of 122 films, "a higher percentage of females than males (24% vs. 4%) are shown in sexy, tight or alluring attire. Females are more likely than their male counterparts to be physically attractive (14% vs. 3.6%) and portrayed with some exposed skin between the mid-chest and upper thigh regions (18.5% vs. 5.6%). A higher percentage of females than males are depicted under 21 (20.5% vs. 12.5%)."

And that's because men make films.

"Only 7% of directors, 13% of writers and 20% of producers are female... These numbers calculate into a ratio of 4.88 males to every one female in key production occupations."

To keep things fair and keep her awake, the USC scholars would advise selecting more films from among the scant 8.2% directed by women and the 32% scripted by at least one female writer.

More factors

"If both partners are drinking the same amount over dinner and then sitting down to watch a movie, the alcohol will affect the woman more."

Other strategies?

"Start the movie earlier in the evening. If you got up early and worked a tough day, it will be hard to stay up later than usual to watch a movie. Watching on Saturday instead of Friday can also help if you tend to sleep later on Saturdays... If you find yourself nodding off, pause the movie and stretch or drink a cold glass of water. And don't watch a movie lying down."

be a gentleman

"If she falls asleep," Duhon adds, "she needs sleep. The loving thing to do is to let her sleep. To be even more loving, get her up and put her into bed."